You are the Lord, giver of mercy!
You are the Christ, giver of mercy!
You are the Lord, giver of mercy!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Friday, April 06, 2007
Litany of Confession - Maundy Thursday
God in whom the heart's deep terrors are assuaged and the furrowed brow soothed to long-sought peace, hear our prayers for all whose darkest night still lies before them. No more than Christ are we exempt from deepest distress; no less than he are we granted the deep delight of your presence.
Hold tenderly in your arms all who are weary, embattled, and shattered. Restore us, as Christ, into everlasting light.
O God, in your presence we discover who we are. Jesus washes our feet, and we learn how often we are reluctant to serve one another.
As he prepares to give himself away, we are still seeking promotions and possessions.
Often our love scarcely suffices to fulfill the requirements of good manners. And though we lift the cup and break the bread with him tonight, tomorrow he shall die alone. We have not yet read what your finger has written upon our hearts.
Loving God, we know you have forgiven us. Help us to forgive ourselves and to more completely become the creation you made and to which we aspire.
Hold tenderly in your arms all who are weary, embattled, and shattered. Restore us, as Christ, into everlasting light.
O God, in your presence we discover who we are. Jesus washes our feet, and we learn how often we are reluctant to serve one another.
As he prepares to give himself away, we are still seeking promotions and possessions.
Often our love scarcely suffices to fulfill the requirements of good manners. And though we lift the cup and break the bread with him tonight, tomorrow he shall die alone. We have not yet read what your finger has written upon our hearts.
Loving God, we know you have forgiven us. Help us to forgive ourselves and to more completely become the creation you made and to which we aspire.
Requiem
May the angels lead you into paradise;
may the martyrs welcome you upon
your arrival, and lead you into the holy
city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of angels welcome you,
and, with poor Lazarus of old,
may you find eternal rest.
- Gabriel Faure
may the martyrs welcome you upon
your arrival, and lead you into the holy
city of Jerusalem.
May a choir of angels welcome you,
and, with poor Lazarus of old,
may you find eternal rest.
- Gabriel Faure
At The Last Supper
It was this, I feel sure, that Jesus wanted so much to make clear to Peter and the disciples. In all his days with them, but especially at the Last Supper, in his last moments with them, he wanted to underline the truth: my Kingdom is a Kingdom of Love! It is not a place where power rules or people compete. It is not a playground of pleasure or a haven for those who have no heart to try. The solemn and solitary requirement for entrance into the Kingdom of God is the choice of love as a life principle. There is only one badge of identification: "By this shall all know that you are my disciples, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:35).
"If you cannot accept this," Jesus insisted with Peter, "you cannot be my partner. The only power in my kingdom is the power of love!"
Jesus wants to know if the lesson has come through. He apparently found in the Apostles the same lack of understanding that I so often find in myself. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus asks the Apostles seventeen times (I once counted them!): "Are you still without understanding?"
I must ask myself the same question again and again: Do I really understand that such a commitment is the only way to true and abiding happiness? These are the questions whose answers lie deep inside of me. I must at least attempt a search of those deepest parts. My whole life is at stake.
(From Unconditional Love by John Powell, S.J.)
"If you cannot accept this," Jesus insisted with Peter, "you cannot be my partner. The only power in my kingdom is the power of love!"
Jesus wants to know if the lesson has come through. He apparently found in the Apostles the same lack of understanding that I so often find in myself. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus asks the Apostles seventeen times (I once counted them!): "Are you still without understanding?"
I must ask myself the same question again and again: Do I really understand that such a commitment is the only way to true and abiding happiness? These are the questions whose answers lie deep inside of me. I must at least attempt a search of those deepest parts. My whole life is at stake.
(From Unconditional Love by John Powell, S.J.)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
